The food at this restaurant was amazing. The service was not so great. Granted, our party was a good size. There were 14 of us. But we had reservations so they should have been prepared with maybe two servers or at least a server who would write orders down. Almost every person in our party had to ask for at least one food or drink order a second time.
He took a couple people's appetizer orders and forgot to take others which made it a bit awkward when certain people got appetizers and others had not even ordered theirs. He seemed only able to take one order at a time before he would run back to his computer to put it in. Our reservations were for 7pm and we didn't get served dinner until 8:15. The guy was nice enough, though, and well-intentioned so I give him a B-.
The food more than made up for the service, however. There were so many delicious flavors and textures swirling and exploding in your mouth at one time, it was like fireworks on the 4th of July.
The theme of this restaurant is English pub food with an Indian flare. They also had an excellent selection of beers. The room we ate in looked like an English castle's dungeon. That's not supposed to be an insult. It was a really cool vibe.
Appetizers:
Lump crabmeat and chickpea flour balls sitting in a bowl of Goan-style curry topped with raita (a type of yogurt), sesame seeds, and fried basil leaves. They came with a side of Naan dough. It was the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.
Supper:
Traditional English Pot Pie (sans corn like the American version). The top was a swirl of soft mashed potatoes. Underneath was a sea of steak chunks and beef gravy.
Chutney. Back center: Goan guacamole. Far left: Spicy Pili Pili (tasted like a spicy barbecue sauce). Front center: Cilantro chutney. Far right: Tamarind sweet and sour (tasted like a salsa).
Guajillo Chicken Tikka Masala. The chicken was
good but the sauce was superb and pleasantly spicy.
Queen Vic's Veggie Burger. Banger's and Mash.
Remember when I said that the Lump Crab Meat and Chickpea Flour Balls was the best thing I'd ever put in my mouth? That was before I tried this dish. Twice fried chicken atop mashed potatoes and boiled spinach and garlic with a side of yogurt. The skin was the crispiest chicken skin I've ever had. And the chicken meat on the inside, amazingly, was extremely tender and juicy. They were complete opposites and yet they complemented each other perfectly. It was like the yin and the yang.
Dessert:
Whiskey Pudding. It was really good but I was so stuffed at this point that I could only eat a couple bites. We drizzled the whiskey sauce all over it. It was excellent. However, we made the wrong choice. Even though this dessert was delicious, the Sticky Toffee Pudding blew it away. I have had Sticky Toffee Pudding before, which is why I didn't want to try it. I wanted to try something new. But remember how I said the twice fried chicken was the best thing I ever put in my mouth? Well, that was before I tried The Queen Vic's Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Three of the best things I've ever put in my mouth in one night! This restaurant is a hit and I'm so going back! Great job, Ryan!
Next Dinner Club picks will be made by Lauren.
